Side packing floating ram gate



Sept. 9, 1947.

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sIDE PACKING FLoA'rING RAM VGATE Filed `July 9, 1945 2 Sheets-,Sheet 1 Sept.v9,1947.` j F.. J.scHwE| TzER 2,427,073

SIDE PACKING FLOATING RAM GATE Filed July 9, 1945 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 9, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE 2,427,073 Y i f sinn PACKING FLOATING- RAM GATE Frank J. Schweitzer; Brea, Calif.

Application July 9, 1945, SerialNo. .603,842

9 Claims. 1

This invention is a valve of the class now generally known as blow-out preventers or gates that. are designed to shut off ow or possible flow in deep well casing, in which there may or may not be a string or pipev or other well apparatus in place.

The instant `invention is of the type shown in Jensen Reissue 18,655 showing a stem with right and left hand screws to actuate gate assemblies; and of the type disclosed in Shaffer Patent 1,963,- 683, and Schweitzer Patent 2,060,248, and Shaffer and Schweitzer Patent 2,060,252, the last two of which have to do with floating block packers.

It is an object of this invention to provide a blow-out preventer in which there is a pair of op,- posed, cooperative gate assemblies characterized by packing elements in the form of frames bounding the sides and ends of a relative iioating block and to provide for. the direct bearing and sealing of limbs` of these frames on the adjacent side wall faces of the housing. chamber in which the gates are reciprocative; this being in contrast to and an advantage over prior art types wherein no provision had been made for such direct traction. of the packing on the house ing walls. In this connection it is an object to provide bulges at the inner face ends of the side limbs to the packing frames whereby to increase the extruding function of the sides of the packing when inner ends come into abutment with an opposing part in the valve.

Further, an object, of the invention is to eliminate as far as possible the. use of internal means in the valve housing having to` do only with the actual shifting of the gate assemblies to close or to open them, one from the other, and as to a pipe string, if any is in the casing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a blowout preventer whose housing chamber, or bore is encumbered only by simple, directtting, reciprocative, opposed gate assembliesr `one of which has direct attachment to an actuating stem and the other of which has indirect attachment to but is operative by the said single stern; and an additional object of the invention is to provide for a single screw and nut couple in cornbination with thestem for its axial shift in either direction for advance orV retraction of the gate assemblies. i

The invention resides in certain advancements in the floating bloek blow-out preventer art as is `set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose constructions, combinations and subcombinations,

section` of the controlvalve structure. Figure 2 is a plan, partlyrin horizontal section. Figure 3 isa central, vertical section. Figure 4` is a perspective of a gate assembly or unit. Figure 5 is a perspective of a saddleper se. Figure 6- is a perspective of a detachedfloating block. Figure 7 is a perspective .of a packing frame. Figure 8 is aside elevation of` agate assembly.

A prominent characteristic ofthe invention .here disclosed. resides in the peculiar construction .and make-up of the. substantially duplicate, inside units which comprise gate assemblies as A, Figs. 4.and, 8. As the assemblies are duplicate a description of one will suice. The novel assembly includes av generally flat, rectangular,

oating block 2 of any suitable material, preferably metal, with an inner or diametrical end face 3, which is plane except., in cases where a pipe is to be` packedoff in the preventer, there is a semicireular bore'v or recess 4 complementary to the pipe which would forman obstacle standing vertical vin top and bottom holes H therefor in the gate shell` or housings.. This block 2 has its sides and inner face 3` materially renated or under cut as at 2a so that overhanging corners 2b are provided.

Around the` block is` a horizontal, substantial frame 5, of suitable rubber or other eincient packing material, whichy nts the block snugly and is nearly overlappediny the block` corners 2b.

The outer, transverse limb` of the frame 5 upstandsalong the outer end` oi.` theblock 2 with the top.edge Ba. substantially flushY and when this limbis under compression between` the saddle wall. 8a. and the. endV of theblock the top. edge 6a is forceably extruded to rmly'seal on the adjacent top face I I of the chamber bore B inwhich the gate snugly lits in the housing S.

The block. 2 with its frame 5` is slidably supported on the plane` top face of a substantial, metal saddle li.` having. a diametrical, inner end face ilwith. a semicircular recessA Hltofmatch the recess 4 of the block (if a pipe is to be sealed.) Thesaddle has. an upstandingv wall 8a buttressing the near, high limb 6 of the frame; this latter being bolted to` thewall at l2. so as to be pulled open from the closed position of the gate, and

3 for the same reason the cross-limb 6b of the frame 5 is bolted at I'3 to the sliding or floating block.

Extending outwardly from the saddles are coaxial ram rods I4 and I5; the latter having an elongate stem having a single direction and sole actuating screw portion I6 by means of which the two gate assemblies A are shifted to and from a closed position, as later described. y

A feature of the invention is to `provide that all of the means for shifting the gates in the housing is mounted wholly outside of the housing, except for the said rods, and a further feature is that the sliding gates are themselves directly mounted and slidably supported immediately on the prepared inner faces of the housing bore B, this being transverse to the axis of the pipe hole H in the top and bottom body parts of the housing. By this invention special machinery and additional inside gate tracks are eliminated.

Each of the saidrods has a cylindrical tenon head I'I to rotatively interlock in vertical mortise I8 formed in end bosses I9 of the respective saddle walls I I and which mortises open to the bottom faces of thegates or saddles so that the heads I1 of the rods may be easily slipped into interlocking place, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. l

The housing S is of oblong, attened form and its longitudinal gate receiving bore B has side wall face channelsv 2U, Fig. 3, here of semicircular outline and extending from end to end of the housing. The housing is closed at each end by headers 2I through and in which the ram rods turn and slide, and are packed in glands 22. YThe saddles 8 and the blocks 2 laterally fit snugly in the channels Z andthe side faces Bc of the side bars of the frame 5 likewise snugly fit the channels.

For the purpose of setting up pressure in the longitudinal side bars of the frame 5 the inner ends of these bars are materially projected at 6d from the diametrical plane of the cross-bar 6b and therefore when lthe gates abut the projecting corners by reaction compress and extrude the side faces 6c ofl the frames solidly against the respective faces of the channels 2B. At the same time the bar 6a of the frame will be firmly Yextrudedagainst the adjacent, seating top area II, ofthe chamber B, surrounding the pipe hole H. At the bottom of the chamber are supporting lugs 24 for the gates in closed position; the remaining face of said bottom being recessed and pitched downward for Adraining and working clearance of the gates. f l

The means for actuating the gates includes a substantial cross-head 25 having a nut forming hub 26 in which the screw section I'B meshes and by rotation forces the rod stem I5 in or out as to the housing S, and also shifts the cross-head 25 toward or from the housing. The cross-head is rigidly bolted at its ends lto a pair of twin yoke rods 2'I which are'mounted parallel on opposite sides vof the housing in corner bearings 28 thereof. The remote ends ofthe rods 21 are rigidly bolted to a respective cross-head 29 to the center of which is rigidly fixed the outer end of the ram rod I4.

It will be seen that the single, one direction screw I 6 will readily actuate the two gate assemblies. In the position of the gates in Fig. 2, by rotating the screw I6 to the right the screw and its rod I5 will either advance toward the housing S because the cross-head is lblocked by the near shell header 2 I, or the screw will workthis crosshead away from this header and thereby cause the cross-head 29 and its rod attached gate assembly to shift in to the closed position; according to which of the assemblies set up the most resistance to action by the screw. In any event continued right hand rotation of the screw will ultimately close both assemblies into mutual abutment and onto an interposed pipe, should one be in place in the housing. Left hand rotation of the screw will ultimately fully open both of the gates and the cross-heads will rest restored to the position shown in Fig. 2. If the right hand gate is the first to fully open further rotation of the screw (to the left) will shift the cross-head 29 from the housing and thereby pull its gate fully open.

What is claimed is:

l. A gate valve or blow-out preventer comprising a housing having a top to bottom bore and transverse, inner bearing channels along its walls, and opposed, mutually abutting gate assemblies therein and reciprocative toward or from a central closed position and each assembly including a generally flat saddle element sliding in said channels having an upstanding ram wall on its outer end, a floating block slidable on the top of the saddle, and a packing frame fitting around the sides and enrds of the block and having a portion, lying against the upstanding wall, to be extruded thereby and seal on the adjacent surface of the channels, the side'elements of the said frame fitting, sliding and sealing directly on the adjacent side faces of the channels.

2, The blow-out preVen-ter of claim 1; the inner ends of the said side elements normally projecting beyond the plane of the inner cross element of the frame; whereby to aid in sealing the side elements when the assemblies are closed.

3, The blow-out preventer of claim 1; the floating block having side and end margins clinching the frame in place on the saddle.

4. The blow-out .preventer of claim l; means attaching the block to the saddle wall for positive retraction, and means attaching the inner cross-element of the frame to the block.

5. A blow-out preventer gate assembly including a saddle body having an upstanding outer wall; the saddle havingparallel, side bearing faces for riding on a complementary, shell bore and a floating block on the .said body having an encompassing packing frame having side limbs exposed along and packing on said faces.

. 6. A blow-out preventer having a flat, tubular housing body having longitudinal channels transverse-its bore sides, and a gate including a lpair of cooperative, opposed saddlemembers slidably fitting in the channels, a block slidably mounted on and secured to the saddle for shift therewith, and a packing frame around each block and directly sealing on the faces of the body .channels and extending across the inner andthe outer ends of the block and sealing on the top face of the body bore; the inner ends of the opposite frames forming seals at abutting surfaces.

'7.V In a blow-out preventer, a housing having a ram receiving bore of generally oblong crosssection and the lateral side wall faces of which have substantially semi-circular channels and the top and the bottom of the housing having pipe holes at about midlength of the said bore, and a gateassembly including a saddle element fitting and riding in the channels and a floating block mounted on the said element and laterally fitting in the wall channels, and a packing element extrudable by the block to seal on contiguous REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,218,093 Penick Oct. 15, 1940 1,806,305 Mueller May 19, 1931 1,809,230 Bettinger June 9, 1931 2,322,269 Allen June 22, 1943 2,060,248 Schweitzer Nov. 10, 1936 2,293,153 Lorehn Aug. 18, 1942 

